Work and football

Some days Mommy works too much, and Conor likes to "relieve me" of the burden of working too much or being on call by helping me out with the pager. (Really he just likes to push the buttons and put it in his mouth. But hey, if he eats it, I don't have to answer it right?)

Our friend Jenny was in town for a business trip so Conor and I took the train down to the city to have some Chicago-style deep dish pizza with her. Great to see you Jenny!

Conor made it to his first football game, a moment Daddy has been waiting for for years. As an official student and official son-of-a-student, Daddy and Conor were all decked out like quite a pair. Sometimes Conor found the people behind us more interesting than the game. Can't blame him. In a 48-3 win, I was a little bored with the game by the end too. And it was hot!! (Don't laugh at my sunglasses, I lost mine and had to use our shared "backup" pair.)

MN State Fair

We spent Labor Day weekend in Minnesota as has been our tradition since we got married 5 years ago. We always go to "the great Minnesota get-together", the State Fair.

This year, Conor was a little more into it than last year, when he was only three weeks old and carried around in the Baby Bjorn. He was in awe at all the surroundings and was up for all the new adventures this time. Conor had his first merry-go-round ride. He was antsy at first, but once the ride started moving around and the horse went up and down, he was hooked!

He tried new foods with us, including deep fried chocolate chip cookies, and the annual cheese curds. As you can see, another annual favorite was the dairy building milkshake, and Conor didn't really want to share. Not sure if it was the strawberries or the ice cream, but he loved it. Think he could be a poster child for the "Got Milk" slogan?


He did pretty well in the stroller, but needed to get out to stretch his legs a little bit too, so he was out walking among the crowds. He and Grandpa have gotten to be pretty good buddies! Grandpa even got Conor to take a short nap in the stroller....something no one else had managed to do.


Conor had a blast visiting the animal barns. He loved seeing all the horses and cows and wanted to pet every animal he saw. Daddy had to carry him through the cow barn to avoid stepping in any cowpies. Conor only hesitated a little bit when petting the goats and sheep, but once he got comfortable, he didn't want to leave. We are still working on his petting skills though...sometimes it is more of a pat or slap (that's putting it nicely) than a gentle pet :)


That evening, there was a football game, and not just any football game. NIU (Northern IL University, Daddy's new alma mater) played at the University of MN. How perfect was that schedule!! So, of course, Daddy had to go to the game, along with Grandpa, Andy, and Leah. NIU played a great game, but lost by only 4 points in a close match. Naturally, Daddy and Conor were decked out in the NIU gear all day in preparation for the big game. What a couple of cuties!


On Sunday, we went to my cousin's bridal shower (sorry, forgot to take pics there) where Conor was flirting with the other little girls. On the way home, we stopped in to see Great Grandpa Skala. I think he was very happy to see Conor, but Conor was tired and antsy so Grandpa didn't get much cuddle time. He was surprised by how big (and heavy) Conor had gotten. Hope to see you again soon, Great Grandpa!

Birthday Presents

Conor has had lots of fun playing with all of his new toys. Here is the car ramp from Grandma and Grandpa...one of his favorites, everything goes down the ramp, not just cars!!!

Here he is wearing the outfit Great Grandma Stout made him from scraps in her sewing basket. Isn't she talented? Thanks Great Grandma!


At his birthday party, checking out his new Bible book from Kip and Janice, his godparents.

And the computer from Jon, Julie, Gunner and Peyton. He loves to push the buttons. Future computer nerd?!?


The bucket of blocks is a hit...he loves to put things in and take them out. Just wait until he figures out the shapes and colors too!


I have never seen him so excited about a stuffed animal as he was about the cat from our neighbors John and Cindy. He carried it with him everywhere for the first five minutes and hugs it tighter than anything else. They have been joking about getting him a cat since they saw how much he loved theirs. Luckily, this one doesn't need a litter box!

The sprinkler from Andy and Leah is great fun in the summer heat! Even the cold water didn't stop Conor from playing!

Birthday Party #2

We went out to dinner at Applebee's for Conor's birthday--just the three of us--and Conor got a free ice cream sundae (he got a little help finishing it). Then we had a big party for him at Concord Park near our house the following weekend. He had a personal White Sox cake (Daddy picked it out) and an Elmo cake to share with everyone else. The playground was a hit and the food was plentiful. It was sunny and warm and Conor had a too-short morning nap, so by the end, he got a little tired. He was rubbing his eyes by cake time and got the black icing all over his face and in his eyes. It looked like guerilla war paint! When it was time to clean up, it only took a few pushes in the swing to get him to sleep, then he took a long nap once we got home! Thanks for all the great gifts and fun times to all who were able to make it.

Vacation and Birthday Party #1

In August, we took a family vacation to Branson, MO, with the Skala family. Laura drove down from Madison to ride with us; and Grandma, Grandpa, Andy, and Leah drove down from Minnesota together. After 9 or 10 hour car rides, we arrived to 100 degree temperatures. We spent a lot of time at the pool and Conor was not afraid at all. After falling under a few times while trying to wade through the kiddie pool, he was eventually trying to dunk his face in on purpose. We also went to a water park, went go-carting (Conor and Grandma watched), went out to eat a few times, played at the park, and played some board games and card games. It was a blast and we hope to have more big family vacations in the future.



Since it was the week before Conor's birthday and we knew that everyone would be unable to make the trip to Illinois for his "at-home" birthday party, we had his first 1st birthday party on vacation. Aunt Leah bought him a special individual cake, and after staring at it for a while, once we showed him how to dig in, he couldn't be stopped. Notice the large bites...must have been some good cake!!





He even wore a special hat (it says "the big one") and opened cards and presents.

Ping pong pros.
Grandpa helping Conor navigate the kiddie pool.
Grandpa reading with Conor before bed.
The men manning the barbecue!
Despite gobs of sunscreen, he even got a little tan!

Conor's first haircut

Checking out the cool ride Sitting so nicely


Mohawk style mid-haircut High five with Mr. Eric

As Conor's first birthday approached, we realized it was time he have an official haircut. I had tried to cut it a couple times at home, but could never get him to sit still long enough to get a decent haircut (ok, one time I really butchered the sides, but in my defense, he moved!)... Anyway, we found Mr. Eric's hair salon for kids and he did a great job!! He was very patient with Conor and knew just how to get the job done efficiently and well. Conor got to sit in a fancy car, held a comb in each hand, watched baby einstein videos and hardly squirmed at all. We even got to keep a little sachet of baby hair for the baby book. I will miss the soft baby hair, but doesn't he look so handsome?

First Camping Adventure

The week after Daddy's birthday, Mommy and Daddy took me camping for the first time to a small KOA campground less than an hour from home...just to try it out. I did great!!! I had lots of fun playing in the grass, on the playground, and even in the pool. I wanted to play "bag-o" with mom and dad, but they kept trying to tell me the beanbags were supposed to go in the hole and I was in the way or something. I am getting very good at walking and would prefer not to sit still for too long. And though I'm normally pretty good about sleeping through the night, there was something about the sun coming up and shining in the tent that made me want to start my day extra early.